A Slight Variation
by Individual Lies
Summary: How would the battle with Cell have changed if Goku hadn't communicated with Gohan? Where would Gohan's mind have gone to achieve victory? (Disclaimer: If I owned anything DB/DBZ related, I wouldn't be a starving author. P.S. Reviews are appreciated.)


_**A Slight Variation**_

King Kai thanked whatever creator existed that had had the incredible foresight to allow him to retain his psychic abilities even in death. The battle raging on Earth was not one he desired to miss, no matter the outcome. Though it admittedly looked grim for little Gohan as Cell's ridiculously large Kamehameha threatened to overwhelm and destroy the boy.

King Kai couldn't help but to pity the boy's predicament. He didn't seem likely to survive this encounter, even after ascending beyond Super Saiyan.

"I blame Vegeta," he said aloud in anxious irritation. "If he hadn't gone off half-cocked-"

"Cell just killed his son, King Kai." Goku said with a disapproving glance given to the short-statured Kai. "I can't say I wouldn't have done the same if I were in his shoes."

King Kai had to admit that Goku was right, albeit reluctantly. "Even so he endangered the Earth. Possibly even the universe!"

"No, Vegeta didn't do anything. Sure Gohan is injured and his power has dropped, but he's still far stronger than Cell. He never used more than a fraction of his full power before Cell blew himself up."

King Kai arched a thin brow dubiously as his antennae twitched. "Maybe before Cell came back from extreme mitosis." He snorted, but caught himself. This was no time to enjoy a joke.

Goku smirked and shook his head. "Not even now. I tried like you wouldn't believe to get him to cut loose, but he refuses to budge."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, to be fair he's showing more control now than he showed in the Time Chamber…" Goku frowned as he concentrated on the psychic projection of his son. "Too much control."

King Kai frowned. "What are you talking about, Goku?"

"He's fighting with himself…He doesn't want to unleash his full power because he doesn't want to hurt the Earth…" Goku's frown went from displaying confusion to concern. "But there's another part of him that doesn't care what happens!"

_**DBZ**_

_No! I can't do it. I can't. If I use any more power than this I'll destroy the planet! _

_ But Cell…He'll win if I don't do something…_

Gohan struggled to keep his shoulders from slumping as Cell's energy washed over his, mere feet from the palm of his outstretched right hand.

_I'm barely holding him back at this rate. This is pathetic! I have the power to squash this insect!_

_ But I'll destroy the Earth if I use it! Darn it! _

Gohan heard Cell laugh and say something, but his words were swallowed up in the roaring outpour of energy. It didn't matter what he said anyway; most likely another inane taunt designed to distract from the task at hand. Cell's power was maxed out; Gohan could feel the Bio-Android trying to channel more energy into his wave to finish the hybrid.

_He's reached his limit. He can't overpower me. _

_ But who will run out of energy first? Cell has the advantage of being at full power and health. Me, on the other hand…_A quick glance to his bloodied, mangled mess of an arm produced a grimace. _I'm not exactly at 100%. But I can still finish this. I can still kill this abomination. _

Emerald eyes glinted dangerously as they focused on their target. _It would be so easy…_Ki flowed out and fueled his blast, shoving Cell's back almost effortlessly until the two titanic Kamehameha Waves were dead even.

Gohan grinned at the comically dismal dismay that overcame Cell's features. _Ha! Didn't see that coming did you, Freak? _

The trembling ground split open to Gohan's right with a thunderous crack, upheavals of jagged rock exploding from the Earth's crust with twin geysers of lava immediately following. Gohan took one look at the damage and his eyes widened.

"Oh no!" _What am I doing to the planet?! How many people am I killing?!_

_**DBZ**_

"Super Saiyans are naturally more aggressive than a regular Saiyan," Goku reflected almost absently. He was nearly in awe of the spectacle he was witnessing on Earth. Never in a million years did he ever imagine that his son would be generating this kind of power. Then again, he also never imagined that this kind of power could even exist.

"It stands to reason that an Ascended Super Saiyan would be twice as aggressive," King Kai added.

Goku glanced down at the Kai, but didn't say anything at first. After a moment he said, "I was kind of banking on that while training with Gohan. He breached the wall in the Time Chamber, but he was too weak to hold the new form for more than a few seconds." He smirked. "I saw it, though. The look in his eyes when he first looked at me. It said more than words could ever say, because I saw Vegeta in those eyes."

King Kai gave a startled jump and glanced around at the Saiyan. "What does that mean?"

Goku grinned. "I saw a Saiyan in his eyes. Gohan wasn't just tapping into new reserves of power. I think he was also tapping into something else, something that brought out the Saiyan side of him."

"But he was raised on Earth. How can that be possible?" King Kai asked in bewilderment.

Goku frowned as he became thoughtful. "It's like…" he started slowly, choosing his words carefully. "It's like he's tapping into something primal, King Kai. Something that's part of him no matter where he was raised. I feel it when I become a Super Saiyan. It's like something inside of me that's just barely kept at bay, but that can easily overwhelm me without much provoking. It's such a powerful urge that even I can barely control it. I can only imagine that an Ascended Super Saiyan, especially one that's only 11 years old, has no choice but to be controlled by it. It explains Gohan's attitude when he was playing with Cell. It kinda reminded me of what Krillen said Nappa had been doing when he and Vegeta first showed up."

King Kai grimaced, remembering that incident all-too clearly. "Yeah, I'd have to agree with that comparison. So Gohan as an Ascended Super Saiyan is basically what a natural Saiyan would be like? Like Raditz and Nappa, and how Vegeta used to-well…still _can_ be?"

Goku chuckled. "Pretty much."

King Kai was silent for a moment. "That's a scary thought, Goku," he said finally as a shudder ran the length of his antennae.

Goku grinned sheepishly. "It gets worse, King Kai. See, I kind of encouraged him to be more Saiyan-like."

King Kai turned around slowly and looked sternly up at the grinning man. "Spit it out, Goku. What are you saying?"

"I awoke the ultimate killing machine."

_**DBZ**_

Gohan could hear Cell taunting him again, but he was distracted with the fact that his Kamehameha was being overwhelmed by Cell's again. This time Cell had overcome him so much that the heat of his blast was beginning to singe Gohan's eyebrows.

The roar of the energy deafening; so much so that he couldn't decide if he was hearing the sound, or if he was feeling it. There was one thing he could be certain of, though: the difference between his and Cell's power was staggering. He could blow Cell clear across the galaxy if he wanted. All he had to do was raise his power just a bit and Cell was finished, but he couldn't get over what his power was doing to the planet. He wanted so much to just stop, but then Cell would destroy him along with Earth. But if he kept this up, then _he'd_ destroy the Earth!

Cell had to die, though. He felt his heart harden to the idea of destroying Earth to kill Cell. What was one planet, one civilization, among trillions?

Gohan shook his head violently side to side. _No! I can't think like that! I can't and WON'T destroy the Earth! _

_ But I have to kill Cell…_

_ I have to protect the Earth!_

_ Kill Cell…_

_ I must…I must protect the Earth! _

_ But how much would it suck if I let this weakling kill me? _The thought materialized randomly, dispersing his other thoughts. _Ugh, the idea of that is utterly unbearable. _

His glimmering emerald gaze locked onto Cell, and he narrowed his eyes. _Besides, the things he's done he's more than earned a death sentence. _

"HYAH!" A surge of energy rushed forth and his Kamehameha swelled up, forcing Cell's back to a dead stalemate.

_The hell? That should've done more good than that! Dammit! I wasted too much power as well as time! _

_ Hmph. Oh well, I can still finish this. I'll blow Cell away right here and now._

A boom of sound reached his ears as a concussive force rammed through his wave and jarred his aching body. Cell's beam surged over his, engulfing it with a reserve of power that Cell had masterfully kept hidden.

Gohan allowed himself a trembling smile of admiration. He had to admit that was a sneaky and well-timed maneuver. He braced himself as it was all he could do to hold Cell at bay. He'd wasted too much time arguing with himself.

"Gotta hand it to you, Cell. You really are the perfect being."

_But perfection isn't everything! _Gohan grimaced as he summoned the remainder of his power; if he'd used every ounce of ki at his disposal earlier he'd have wiped Cell from existence easily. While he had the energy to finish him, he hadn't factored in the severity of his injuries. Of course he was unable to channel everything he had with a body that was so badly damaged.

_Damn, I knew I should've finished him sooner! _He felt his knees trembling uncontrollably, his chest heaving with the continued exertion. _I can't hold it much longer! _

Cell's Kamehameha began to overwhelm his again, inching closer and closer to him. He felt his arm beginning to cramp up and he winced, gritting his teeth as he steeled himself against the onrush of energy; his wave barely stopped Cell's advance, like a jet of water barely phasing a raging inferno. Blue ki versus blue ki, arcs of light lancing from the clash of energy, bright enough to outshine the sun; they sliced through clouds overhead, instantly causing them to break down and dissipate. Gohan held his ground, his eyes locked on the laughing face of Cell.

_Insignificant bug…I'm a Saiyan! Where do you get off laughing at me?! _Gohan's gaze hardened, his eyes taking on a murderous gleam. His upper lip curled back as he growled low in his throat.

_Keep laughing, Cell, enjoy it while you can. Pretty soon there won't be enough of you left to even snicker! I've had it with everything! My dad is dead because of you and you killed Trunks! _

The blue lightning that accompanied his new form began to crackle and pop rapidly as his aura flashed and raged violently. The rags of his gi flapped madly, tickling the sensitive skin of his ascended, injured body. His teeth bore in a feral expression and his nostrils flaring with the intensity of a mad bull, he forced his ragged body to endure the incredible force of his ki as he forced it all into his Kamehameha. This was it, no matter what happened. If it proved enough and destroyed the Earth, it didn't matter; if it proved too little and he was overcome and destroyed, it didn't matter; all that mattered anymore was that Cell die no matter what.

Gohan steeled himself in his new resolve as his Kamehameha blew Cell's back, almost to his cupped hands. The look of pure horror on the bug's face brought a smirk to Gohan's face as excruciating waves of pain crashed over his body. But he held his position, keeping his focus on maintaining the Kamehameha. This was the crucial moment; if he kept this pace then Cell was finished. But if Gohan lost his hard-earned ground and let Cell retake control of the beam clash, then he was finished. He had no ki left to overcome Cell again. It was now or never.

Gohan felt a jolt of panic as he saw his wave come to a complete stop. A heaving surge crashed through his Kamehameha and he knew that Cell was pushing him back again.

_No no no! Argh, if only I wasn't injured! Or we at least had a senzu left! Cell's not as winded as me, he has the advantage here! _

The blue lightning faded and his aura shrank as he felt his hold slipping over his Ascended state. He allowed himself a grim smile.

_Well, that's that I guess. If I drop back down to Super Saiyan then it's all over. _He relaxed his outpour of energy and he felt his wave shrink back against Cell's, but the lightning reappeared and his aura went back to raging. He kept pouring enough ki into his Kamehameha to slow Cell's advance to a crawl; it was all he could to do to maintain his state and keep the fight going.

_I have the ki, but Cell's body is completely uninjured. If I at least had the same advantage, then this fight would be over already, but as it stands I'm in a hopeless situation. I can't beat him like this!_

He sighed and closed his eyes. The time had come to accept his fate, it seemed.

_This sucks so much. Why did it have to be Cell that I lost to? He doesn't have even half the power I do, and I'm _still _going to lose! Bah. It's my fault anyway. If I'd just finished him in the beginning then none of this would have happened. Dad would still be alive and we'd probably be home celebrating and enjoying Mom's cooking. _

He grimaced. _Oh Mom. I'm so sorry. You didn't even want me to fight. All you wanted for me was to be a scholar, and I let you down. I'm such a horrible son. I can't satisfy you or Dad no matter what I do._

_ That's not true Kid, and you know it! _

Gohan's eyes snapped open and he looked around until he spotted Piccolo glaring at him from atop a pile of boulders behind Cell.

_Piccolo…?_

_ Get it together, Gohan. I know you don't want to be here right now, but you're the Earth's last shot!_

_ But I've reached my limit._

_ Whatever. Didn't you just say that Cell doesn't have half the power you do?_

_ Well yeah, but my body is wrecked! I can't generate any more power than I already am!_

_ I think if that was true then Cell would have beaten you by now. _

Gohan frowned as he regarded his friend and teacher. True he had the power, but he couldn't handle putting that much power out. Cell just kept pushing him back.

_Come on, Gohan. You _can_ do it. You _have _to do it. For the sake of the Earth and the universe, you _have _to stop Cell right now. You have to kill him! _

Gohan's emerald eyes snapped back to Cell and narrowed dangerously. He snarled again.

_I have to kill Cell. _The lightning sparked rapidly. _That's what I was trained to do! _Cell's advance ceased and his eyes went wide again. _Nothing else matters! If I destroy myself in the process, it doesn't matter! Cell has to die!_

"CELL!" Gohan's Kamehameha surged forward more violently than ever before, swallowing Cell's as it barreled like an out-of-control freight train towards him. The ground exploded all around him, shards of debris pelting him like hail stones.

The panic in the bio-android's eyes fueled Gohan's sudden insatiable blood thirst as he threw everything he had at him. The Kamehameha swept everything away as it bore down on the helpless Cell.

Gohan felt yet another surge through his wave as Cell retaliated with whatever reserves he had remaining, stopping the approach just before it was able to overwhelm and blow him away. Gohan only began to laugh.

_It doesn't matter what you do anymore Cell. You can only stall me for so long. I'm going to send you straight to Hell even if it kills me! Do you hear me?!_

Cell's eyes widened and his gaze locked with Gohan's. _That's right, Cell! You're not imagining this! You CAN hear me because I WANT you to hear! Whether you want to hear my thoughts or not, you're hearing them. They'll be the last you thing you hear on your way to HELL!_

Cell staggered his arms and knees trembling as he struggled to hold Gohan's overwhelming power back. "This…is…IMPOSSIBLE!" he cried desperately, his aura and sparks dancing to the same rhythm as Gohan's. "I AM the PERFECT BEING!"

_Perfection isn't everything, Cell. Look at me. LOOK AT ME! _Cell blinked and looked at him again in surprise. _I'm far from perfect; I'm half human and half Saiyan, and I fit into neither world. Because of me my dad is dead, and so is Trunks. _

"WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME THIS?!" Cell roared angrily, his eyes practically bulging from their sockets with his exertion.

Gohan grinned. _It's because of my imperfection that I'm going to kill you. Oh, and also Vegeta. _

Cell had but an instant to be utterly baffled by that comment before a massive ball of golden ki struck his back and exploded, buckling his knees. He glanced around to see Vegeta hovering overhead, his chest heaving but his eyes locked resolutely on Cell.

_Told you._

Gohan's grin widened as he pushed with all his might, his wave sweeping over Cell's as the bio-android looked at it in unadulterated horror. Vegeta's timely distraction was all Gohan needed as his Kamehameha washed over Cell, lifting him from the ground as it tore his body apart.

_"BUT I WAS PERFECT!" _he roared as the destructive beam carried him across the disintegrating ground in a perfect line of death, continuing onward as a beacon of light lancing through the atmosphere towards the heavens. Cell's roar faded into a garbling scream as the beam broke his body down, completely obliterating ever last molecule of his being.

_**DBZ**_

King Kai let out a cry of triumph and started dancing from one foot to the other. "He did it! He did it! He did it! Boy your son sure packs a wallop, Goku!"

Goku smiled with proud adoration as he watched the Kai cavort about. "Yeah, Gohan is something else. I just knew he could do it."

King Kai stopped dancing and looked at Goku. "Is that because you said you awoke the ultimate killing machine?"

Goku laughed. "Yes and no. Gohan has more potential than any other warrior I've ever met, King Kai. He's handled himself against all sorts of opponents, most of them far stronger than anyone I faced at his age. I knew Gohan could do it, because he's a better fighter than me."

King Kai put his hands behind his back as he turned to float towards Snake Way. "If you say so, Goku."

Goku laughed. "I do say so, King Kai. Hey, you got any food?"

_**DBZ**_

Gohan huffed as he remained in his Kamehameha stance, his hair slowly shifting to black along with his eyes. The intense stare of his Ascended state remained as he smirked and straightened up, letting out a rush of air on top of a wince. Everything hurt, but he was determined to remain standing.

He glanced down at his uninjured hand and clenched it into a fist as his friends swooped down around him, laughing and cheering. He ignored them, though, as he looked up again and swept his gaze across the massive trench left behind by his attack.

He decided weakness had no place in his new world; he would not show it nor would he accept it. It had taken more battles than he could remember, against beings with unfathomable power. He'd survived and been traumatized by experiences no little kid should have to endure.

Gohan had survived unimaginable things that he'd never really wanted a part in to begin with. Raditz's arrival, as well as Nappa and Vegeta's, had changed his life in ways he was only just beginning to realize. The war he'd taken part in on Namek had set him down a path he'd never seen before. For the first time that anyone could remember, an 11 year old child was the most powerful being in the entire universe.

He smirked. That thought gave him a thrill, but it was also disheartening. Not even Vegeta was as powerful as he now was.

He grinned, his eyes narrowing and taking on a fierce gleam. He saw a future lying before him unlike any dared to be envisioned before. Gohan understood his true destiny for the first time in his short life; he understood that he was the only one capable of affecting a true change in the world.

_ After all, now that Cell's gone I do need a new challenge._

**_FIN?_**

_**(Individual Lies here! Here's something fresh I've been toying around with for a little while. I figured it was time I added something fresh. Lol I hope y'all enjoyed it.)**_


End file.
